Community Corner

Doctor Gives Tips For Dealing with the Heat

Dr. Christopher Stephan of Adventist Hinsdale Hospital says people need to start being careful once temperatures hit 88 or 90 degrees.

With temperatures topping 95 degrees this week, it’s a good time for a refresher on how to deal safely with the heat. Patch talked with Dr. Christopher Stephan, a family medicine physician at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, to get just that.

According to Stephan, when temperatures exceed 88 or 90 degrees, people spending time outside should adjust behavior to avoid heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and heat stroke.

Stephan said young children and older adults are especially vulnerable. 

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“Kids have a harder time regulating their own body temperature,” Stephan said. “They may not necessarily feel like they’re getting as hot as they are.”

A few tips for parents of young kids:

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  • Dress them in loose-fitting, breathable, light-colored clothes.
  • Regularly have them drink sports drinks, water, or both.
  • Lather on the sun screen.
  • Keep them out of the direct sunlight for too long. Look for shady spots or have them take breaks inside.

Stephan said older adults who are housebound or who are on multiple medications can often misjudge their body heat, too.

A few tips for older adults:

  • Stay well-hydrated.
  • Spend a significant portion of the day in air conditioning. (A simple fan is often not enough.)
  • Neighbors and relatives should check on older adults multiple times per day.
  • If an older adult feels confused, dizzy, or noxious,  medical attention is needed.

Stephan said that before heat stroke hits, heat exhaustion and heat cramps can occur. Exhaustion is characterized by any combination of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, weakness and fatigue.

“That’s the first sign,” Stephan said. “That’s when it’s crucial to get in the shade, get a fan, get a breeze going and get hydrated.”

Heat stroke can follow and is characterized by confusion, disorientation, loss of consciousness, and seizures. If a person or anyone they’re with experiences such symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

“At that point the body is no longer regulating its own body temperature,” Stephan said. “That’s why it’s so dangerous.”


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